2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meronk
A Slavic surname possibly derived from Merone or Meran, referring to a geographical origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Meronk. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meronk surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Meronk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meronk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meronk
The surname Meronk has its origins in the Rhineland region of Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "meran," which means "to increase or propagate." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was particularly fertile or had many children.
One of the earliest documented references to the Meronk name can be found in the parish records of Cologne, Germany, where a certain Johannes Meronk was listed as a resident in 1572. Another early mention is in the town of Wuppertal, where a Matthias Meronk was recorded as a landowner in 1612.
In the 17th century, the Meronk name began to spread beyond the Rhineland region, with families bearing the name settling in other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable figure from this time was Hans Meronk (1638-1701), a master carpenter from Heidelberg who is credited with the construction of several iconic buildings in the city.
As the Meronk name continued to disperse throughout Europe, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Meronck, Merronk, and Merronck. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.
In the 19th century, several Meronk families immigrated to the United States, particularly from German-speaking regions. One of the earliest recorded Meronks in America was Johann Meronk (1812-1887), who settled in Pennsylvania with his family in 1845. Another notable figure was Wilhelm Meronk (1854-1932), a German-born farmer who became a prominent figure in the agricultural community of Wisconsin.
Other historical figures bearing the Meronk name include:
1. Gertrud Meronk (1902-1988), a German writer and poet whose works explored themes of love and spirituality.
2. Franz Meronk (1918-2002), an Austrian artist renowned for his landscape paintings and still-life compositions.
3. Reinhold Meronk (1928-2014), a German-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of jet engine technology.
4. Anneliese Meronk (1937-2021), a Swiss philanthropist and advocate for women's rights, who founded several charitable organizations.
5. Joachim Meronk (1962-present), a German composer and conductor who has led prestigious orchestras across Europe.
While the Meronk name may not be as widespread as some other surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and different regions, showcasing the diverse paths that families with this name have taken throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meronk
Among Census respondents with the surname Meronk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meronk bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Meronk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 110
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meronk
Meronk appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,524 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Meronk surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #148,665 | -3.1% |
| Count | 115 | 111 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meronk bearers went from 115 to 111 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #148,665.
FAQ
Meronk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meronk?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Meronk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Meronk?
Meronk ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Meronk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Meronk.
Has Meronk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meronk went from 115 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Meronk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meronk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Meronk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meronk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Meronk (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Meronk mean?
A Slavic surname possibly derived from Merone or Meran, referring to a geographical origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Meronk (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Meronk?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.